Leprechauns, Hedgehogs and Semicircles...Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With This Story
Chapter One
Albert Tyler was a tall, somewhat lanky man in his late twenties. He sported a scruffy brown head of hair and liked the internet. In fact, he liked the internet so much that he worked as a web developer for a small UFO and alien based magazine, designing, constructing and maintaining their website. Coincidently, his best friend also worked for the same magazine, but instead of developing websites, he wrote a monthly article about recent UFO sightings.
Albert had known his best friend, Douglas, since their very first year of school, where they had continually fought to be the most disruptive child in class. It wasn’t until a few years later they discovered that if they combined forces, they could achieve greater things. This combining of forces lead to a rude word being spelled out on the roof of their school in red paint, which then lead to them both being suspended for two weeks. They had been best friends ever since.
They had both toned down their disruptive behaviour once entering high school, with Albert discovering his love of technology, and Douglas falling into journalism. It was in high school where their fascination, or rather Douglas’ fascination, with aliens and Unidentified Flying Objects had begun. Douglas insisted he had had an alien encounter one Thursday night, and while Albert didn’t really believe him, he still helped Douglas in UFO spotting once a week from then on.
Nowadays, Albert lived alone in a small flat overlooking a park, where he and Douglas would go UFO spotting every Thursday night. That being said, an ordinary Thursday night was where our story first began.
***
“That being said, watch the skies. Heavens knows they’re watching us,” Albert read aloud from the latest edition of UFOMonthly. “You’re so full of crap, Doug,” he chuckled.
“That’s what they pay me for,” Douglas replied. He stood bent over a telescope, gazing at the night’s sky. He fiddled with the telescopes focus, and increased the magnification. “Moon’s bright tonight...” he muttered, not really directing it at anybody.
Albert stretched and leaned back on a battered fold out beach chair. A warm summer breeze brushed through his hair. He grabbed a torch and shone it through the darkness, directing it at Douglas’ face. “We haven’t seen anything for months. Maybe we need to find a new spot...”
“Turn that off will you?” Douglas squinted, screwing up his face, “I’ve seen plenty lately. Just not from this park...”
Douglas stood up straight and rolled his shoulders back, stretching. Standing, he was a couple of inches shorter than Albert, but larger around the middle. He wasn’t what people would call fat; however, he wasn’t thin like Albert was either.
“Where’ve you seen them, then?” Albert flicked through his copy of UFOMonthly.
“What do you think I do every night from my flat’s balcony?”
“Hold on,” Albert looked up, “if you’re seeing them from your flat then why are we coming here every Thursday night?”
“Weeelll,” Douglas lifted up his bowlers’ hat and scratched his head, “we’ve been doing this every week for years now. It’s become a ritual. And we can’t go breaking rituals now, can we?” He smiled creepily and turned back to his telescope. Albert went back to reading. A light flashed in the distance above the two of them.
“Blast!” Douglas shook his left hand, and then held it tightly with the other. Albert looked at Douglas inquisitively. “Yes?” his expression said.
“I cut my finger,” he held out his hand like a small child, showing Albert. Albert’s eyes widened, a look of fear taking over his face.
“Shit!” he exclaimed.
“I thank you for your concern, but it’s only a small cut. I shall live yet.” Douglas bowed.
“No, no no no no no,” Albert scrambled out of the seat and grabbed his jacket, “I’m meant to be having dinner with Kayla tonight. She’s going to kill me.”
Grabbing his car keys from the seat he had just emptied, he raced off.
“Run, Al! Run! Pump those legs!” Douglas screamed after him. He watched Albert run into the distance before realising he was bleeding. “Ah, blood.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the blood. A light flashed above him. He looked up while shoving the handkerchief into his pocket. It didn’t make it, and fell onto the grass beside his sneakers without him noticing. A star quite larger than the rest of the stars around it twinkled. Douglas’ stomach growled.
“Well, I think we’ll call it a night.” He patted his stomach.
He packed up his telescope and trudged through grass, leaving footsteps of crushed grass behind him.
***
A couple of minutes passed in the park. The handkerchief that had been dropped by a careless man with a telescope blew a couple of paces in the wind. A light flashed bright. Then brighter. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then another light flashed and a human shaped being materialised on the grass. It laughed gleefully. “I made it!” it squealed.
It had the appearance of a thin male human, around five and a half feet in height, and had light blonde hair. It inhaled deeply and looked around. Noticing the handkerchief on the ground it picked it up. Curiously looking at the handkerchief it noticed the blood and sniffed it. Smiling a sly smile the human shaped being opened its mouth and shoved the handkerchief inside. It swallowed.
A few seconds went by and nothing happened. The visitor frowned. It jumped up and down angrily, then POP! Douglas, or a replica of Douglas, appeared where the human shaped being was standing. The replica of Douglas smiled. Then, taking a couple of deep breaths ran a couple of paces, jumped, and disappeared into thin air.
Albert had known his best friend, Douglas, since their very first year of school, where they had continually fought to be the most disruptive child in class. It wasn’t until a few years later they discovered that if they combined forces, they could achieve greater things. This combining of forces lead to a rude word being spelled out on the roof of their school in red paint, which then lead to them both being suspended for two weeks. They had been best friends ever since.
They had both toned down their disruptive behaviour once entering high school, with Albert discovering his love of technology, and Douglas falling into journalism. It was in high school where their fascination, or rather Douglas’ fascination, with aliens and Unidentified Flying Objects had begun. Douglas insisted he had had an alien encounter one Thursday night, and while Albert didn’t really believe him, he still helped Douglas in UFO spotting once a week from then on.
Nowadays, Albert lived alone in a small flat overlooking a park, where he and Douglas would go UFO spotting every Thursday night. That being said, an ordinary Thursday night was where our story first began.
***
“That being said, watch the skies. Heavens knows they’re watching us,” Albert read aloud from the latest edition of UFOMonthly. “You’re so full of crap, Doug,” he chuckled.
“That’s what they pay me for,” Douglas replied. He stood bent over a telescope, gazing at the night’s sky. He fiddled with the telescopes focus, and increased the magnification. “Moon’s bright tonight...” he muttered, not really directing it at anybody.
Albert stretched and leaned back on a battered fold out beach chair. A warm summer breeze brushed through his hair. He grabbed a torch and shone it through the darkness, directing it at Douglas’ face. “We haven’t seen anything for months. Maybe we need to find a new spot...”
“Turn that off will you?” Douglas squinted, screwing up his face, “I’ve seen plenty lately. Just not from this park...”
Douglas stood up straight and rolled his shoulders back, stretching. Standing, he was a couple of inches shorter than Albert, but larger around the middle. He wasn’t what people would call fat; however, he wasn’t thin like Albert was either.
“Where’ve you seen them, then?” Albert flicked through his copy of UFOMonthly.
“What do you think I do every night from my flat’s balcony?”
“Hold on,” Albert looked up, “if you’re seeing them from your flat then why are we coming here every Thursday night?”
“Weeelll,” Douglas lifted up his bowlers’ hat and scratched his head, “we’ve been doing this every week for years now. It’s become a ritual. And we can’t go breaking rituals now, can we?” He smiled creepily and turned back to his telescope. Albert went back to reading. A light flashed in the distance above the two of them.
“Blast!” Douglas shook his left hand, and then held it tightly with the other. Albert looked at Douglas inquisitively. “Yes?” his expression said.
“I cut my finger,” he held out his hand like a small child, showing Albert. Albert’s eyes widened, a look of fear taking over his face.
“Shit!” he exclaimed.
“I thank you for your concern, but it’s only a small cut. I shall live yet.” Douglas bowed.
“No, no no no no no,” Albert scrambled out of the seat and grabbed his jacket, “I’m meant to be having dinner with Kayla tonight. She’s going to kill me.”
Grabbing his car keys from the seat he had just emptied, he raced off.
“Run, Al! Run! Pump those legs!” Douglas screamed after him. He watched Albert run into the distance before realising he was bleeding. “Ah, blood.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the blood. A light flashed above him. He looked up while shoving the handkerchief into his pocket. It didn’t make it, and fell onto the grass beside his sneakers without him noticing. A star quite larger than the rest of the stars around it twinkled. Douglas’ stomach growled.
“Well, I think we’ll call it a night.” He patted his stomach.
He packed up his telescope and trudged through grass, leaving footsteps of crushed grass behind him.
***
A couple of minutes passed in the park. The handkerchief that had been dropped by a careless man with a telescope blew a couple of paces in the wind. A light flashed bright. Then brighter. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then another light flashed and a human shaped being materialised on the grass. It laughed gleefully. “I made it!” it squealed.
It had the appearance of a thin male human, around five and a half feet in height, and had light blonde hair. It inhaled deeply and looked around. Noticing the handkerchief on the ground it picked it up. Curiously looking at the handkerchief it noticed the blood and sniffed it. Smiling a sly smile the human shaped being opened its mouth and shoved the handkerchief inside. It swallowed.
A few seconds went by and nothing happened. The visitor frowned. It jumped up and down angrily, then POP! Douglas, or a replica of Douglas, appeared where the human shaped being was standing. The replica of Douglas smiled. Then, taking a couple of deep breaths ran a couple of paces, jumped, and disappeared into thin air.